Natural Capital and Biodiversity

Natural capital and biodiversity net gain (BNG) offer farmers and landowners new opportunities to secure additional income.

Overview

Harnessing precious resources for farmers and landowners - expert legal support

What is natural capital? New incomes streams for land

Significant changes in rural policy and land management have brought both challenges and new opportunities for farmers and landowners. Natural capital refers to the environmental value of the land — such as wildlife habitats, moorland for flood and water management, reed beds for natural sewage treatment, and carbon capture through wetlands and trees.

By understanding and enhancing the natural capital of their land, landowners can access emerging markets and income streams linked to environmental services.

What is biodiversity net gain? - making the most of natural capital

Biodiversity net gain (BNG) is an increase in biodiversity that development sites are legally bound to provide. With the rules now extended to include smaller sites and major infrastructure projects in 2025, many developers are seeking off-site solutions to meet their obligations.

This creates an opportunity for landowners to generate income by using their land to deliver biodiversity enhancements, effectively monetising their natural capital while supporting national environmental goals.

Specialist legal advice for farmers and landowners

Our dedicated agricultural team has extensive experience in advising on farm diversification and environmental land use agreements. We can guide you through:

Opportunities to generate new income from BNG and other schemes
The legal and practical implications of committing land for 30 years or more
How these agreements interact with existing tenancies or development contracts
The tax implications for you and your family, now and for future generations

Whether you’re exploring BNG, carbon credits, or other land-based opportunities, we’re here to help you make informed, strategic decisions.

How we can help

If you’d like to meet one of our experts for a confidential, no obligation chat, please get in touch.

We have offices across Cambridgeshire, Essex and Hertfordshire, but we can help you wherever you are in England and Wales.

Having a team with such a diverse knowledge base working at Tees, it makes life very easy to make one call then get put in touch with the relevant person with the skill set required.
Legal 500 UK, 2026

Our expertise

Our natural capital and biodiversity solicitors can support and advise you on a range of issues including:

Drafting and negotiating long term farm business tenancies (FBTs)
Habitat bank providers
Dealing with Section 106 agreements
Drafting and agreeing conservation covenants
Getting approval from lenders
Advice on business structures refinancing
Advice to landlords and tenants on whether tenancies allow long-term schemes
Advice on the effect of existing or proposed overage agreements

Legal and financial advice

Tees is a full-service top-tier Legal 500 firm, so we can support you with any legal matters connected with natural capital and biodiversity. We have expert lawyers in: estate management, commercial and agricultural property, renewable energy, corporate law, dispute resolution, regulatory law, private client and financial advice.

We also have in-house independent financial advisers who work closely with our lawyers to deliver all the advice you need for your business, and for investment for the future.

Our independent financial advisers are regulated and authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority, which means we are accountable for all the advice that we give.